By Emelia Gifty Appoh, GIJ Intern
Accra - Ghana has become number one among African countries in narcotic drugs trafficking. This was disclosed by the Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Professor Patrick Addy, at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop on "eradicating streetism in the next millennium"
Prof. Addy said many Ghanaians have become so money-minded and grossly materialistic that they behave as if our main objective in life is money.
Because of this people have resorted to bad modes of acquisition of wealth such that scores of Ghanaians export or attempt to export Indian hemp.
The workshop was organised by response, an NGO, in collaboration with the Ministries of Employment and Social Welfare and Youth and Sports, Actionaid, UNICEF, Plan International and the Street Academy.
In her address, the chairperson for Response, Professor Dr. Nana Araba Apt, said priority should be put on youth development because of the enormous potential they hold for national development and sustained economic growth.
When these energies are properly harnessed and directed towards productive and profitable ventures, a nation stands to gain.
However, when the youth are not directed and left in the hand of inexperienced peer group, it becomes very destructive.
Unfortunately for Ghana, like other third world countries, she said, low GDP and prevailing poverty within communities have resulted in the inability to provide sufficient services for the upbringing and training of the young segment of society to enable them take up their rightful places.
As a result, many tend to rush to the cities and urban centres to escape poverty and social injustices that characterise poor communities,she said.
Mrs. Nana Araba Apt said because the problem of street children in the capital city and the regional capitals is a spill-over of poverty from the districts, response had been organising workshops in conjunction with the District Assemblies in the hope that the situations leading to poverty would be seriously tackled in the hinterlands.
She urged NGOs working with street children to develop programmes for children in the districts to curtail the exodus to regional capitals.
